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Ordnance QF 18-pounder

Ordnance QF 18 pounder
18pounders3rdYpres1917.jpg
Australian gun crew in action in the Ypres sector, 28 September 1917
Type Field gun
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1904–1945 (UK)
Used by British Empire
Russian Empire
Irish Free State
Finland
Estonia
Wars First World War
Third Afghan War
Russian Civil War
Irish Civil War
Waziristan 1936-37
Continuation War
Second World War
Production history
Designer Armstrong Whitworth
Vickers
Royal Arsenal
Designed 1901
Manufacturer

Armstrong Whitworth
Woolwich Arsenal
Royal Ordnance Factory
Vickers
Beardmore

Bethlehem Steel
Produced 1903–1940
No. built approx. 10,469
(Mk I & II)
Specifications
Weight 1.282 tonnes
2,825 lb (1,281 kg)
Barrel length 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
Width 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Crew 6

Shell

18.5 lb (8.4 kg) projectile
23 lb (10 kg) total including case.
Armour piercing
Smoke
Gas
Star
Incendiary
Shrapnel shell

High explosive
Calibre 3.3in (83.8mm)
Recoil 41 in (1.0 m) (Mk I - II);
26 in (0.66 m) to 48 in (1.2 m) (Mk III - V)
Carriage pole trail (Mk I & II)
box trail (Mk III & IV)
split trail (Mk V)
Elevation -5° to +16°(Mk I & II)
+30° (Mk III)
+37°(Mk IV & V)
Traverse 4.5° left and right
(Mk I - IV)
25° left and right (Mk V)
Rate of fire 20 rpm (max);
4 rpm (sustained)
Muzzle velocity 1,615 ft/s (492 m/s)
(Mk I & II)
1,615 ft/s (492 m/s)
(Mk IV)
Effective firing range 6,525 yd (5,966 m)
Mk I & II
7,800 yd (7,100 m)
with trail dug in
9,300 yd (8,500 m)
(Mk III, IV & V)
11,100 yd (10,100 m)
(streamlined HE Shell Mk IC)

Armstrong Whitworth
Woolwich Arsenal
Royal Ordnance Factory
Vickers
Beardmore

18.5 lb (8.4 kg) projectile
23 lb (10 kg) total including case.
Armour piercing
Smoke
Gas
Star
Incendiary
Shrapnel shell

The Ordnance QF 18 pounder, or simply 18-pounder Gun, was the standard British Empire field gun of the World War I era. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery during the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was used by British Forces in all the main theatres, and by British troops in Russia in 1919. Its calibre (84 mm) and shell weight were greater than those of the equivalent field guns in French (75 mm) and German (77 mm) service. It was generally horse drawn until mechanisation in the 1930s.

The first versions were introduced in 1904. Later versions remained in service with British forces until early 1942. During the interwar period, the 18-pounder formed the basis of early versions of the equally famous Ordnance QF 25 pounder, which would form the basis of the British artillery forces during and after World War II, in much the same fashion as the 18-pounder had during World War I.

During the Second Boer War, the British government realised that its field artillery was being overtaken by the more modern "quick firing" guns of other major powers, and investigated replacements for its existing field gun, the BL 15 pounder 7 cwt. In 1900, General Sir Henry Brackenbury, the then Director-General of Ordnance, sent officers to visit European gun makers. At Rheinische Metallwaren und Maschinenfabrik in Düsseldorf, they found a quick firing gun designed by Heinrich Ehrhardt with a recoil system that totally absorbed all the recoil of firing, 108 guns plus spares, were secretly purchased and entered service as the Ordnance QF 15 pounder in June 1901.


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